The Mediterranean yachting circuit only truly bloomed in the 60s, thanks to the happy collision of a handful of factors: post-war wealth, the creation of fibreglass and new marinas themselves, and the swift rise of celebrity culture and boat-loving icons such as Bardot, Hepburn, Sinatra and Kelly. Cruising between the likes of Antibes’ Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Saint Tropez’s Hotel Byblos and Portofino’s Splendido Mare, the seafaring elite embraced the coastline like they owned it: joyful, sun-kissed and utterly at ease. Fortunately, legendary lifestyle snapper Slim Aarons was there to capture the cultural moment forever. A veteran WW2 photographer, the 1916-born New Yorker with a lean, 6ft 4in frame (hence his nickname; real name George) channelled his professional energy into documenting the opposite of what he had seen during the war. “Slim’s subject matter, from seafront to mountaintop,
was good living,” explains Getty Images curator Shawn Waldron, author of two books on Aarons and manager and deep-diver of his archive. As Waldron speaks to TIDE from his Connecticut home he holds up the captions typed by Aaron’s wife, Lorita for the various travel titles he contributed to. “It was not about excess or luxury, though they are very much present in many of his most celebrated images. He took his role as a photojournalist seriously and approached every assignment as a unique opportunity to show magazine readers what makes a place special.”
Today it is perhaps not a print audience who see his work and enduring impact most regularly, but Instagram users, where his ‘people-watching’ style has inspired generations of imitators. “The pictures remain appealing today because the subjects are unguarded and entirely themselves,” says Waldron. “There are no phones, no stylists, no reshoots, and all are sprinkled with Slim’s trademark light and colour.”
Aarons travelled extensively around the Côte d’Azur throughout his career, yet he found one country particularly mesmerising. “It was Italy that truly captivated,” Waldron shares. “His first time [there] was as a US Army soldier and combat photographer during WWII. He lived in a suite in the Excelsior Hotel from 1948-49 to help reopen the Life bureau in Rome.” Aarons then returned to the country nearly every year of his life. “He was fascinated by the quality of light, and as he described it, the perfect place for his quest for the beautiful and elegant,” he says. “Portofino, which Slim called ‘the world’s most exclusive little fishing village’, never misses, but top of the list has to be his work from Sardinia. Slim’s photographs from Costa Smeralda and beyond are dazzling displays of sea, sun and la dolce vita.”
And while place is certainly a key character in Aarons’ works, his subjects provide equal majesty – especially when they’re actual royalty, or the equivalent. “Slim photographed Ari Onassis and family aboard the Christina in 1958,” Waldron says. “In 1967, he joined a cruise off Costa on Prince Karim Aga Khan’s vessel. Also on board were Dolores Guinness, Peter Sellers and Princess Margaret.” Were his shoots as authentic as they seemed? “Slim would lightly pose or style subjects for formal portraits, but when shooting on the street, he preferred candid frames to posed ones,” he says. “He learned photography as a combat photographer and retained that style of quick shooting throughout his career. He did not hire models, although his wife, Lorita, and later his assistants were often recruited if he felt the scene was missing something!”
Here Waldron shares some of his insider intel on our pick of Slim Aaron yacht world classics.
Saint-Tropez, 1971
Holidaymakers lounging on the deck of their luxury yacht in August in Saint-Tropez.
“The boat in shot here is the 1937 Malahne, purchased by director Sam Spiegel in 1960, later to become a bit of a headquarters for Laurence of Arabia while he was producing it in 62. She was host to endless Hollywood stars during this era, including the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Kirk Douglas, Jack Nicholson and Frank Sinatra.”
Dining Al Fresco On Capri, 1980
Italian artist and actress Domiziana Giordano, Italian author Francesca Sanvitale, Dino Trappetti and Umberto Terrelli on a terrace overlooking the sea. “The two men were partners, and this was Umberto’s home,” shares Waldron. “Terrelli was a tailor and costume historian who built an exquisite personal collection of more than 15,000 garments and accessories. The house, Villa Il Canille, is built into the rocks of Pizzolungho overlooking the waters off the coast.”
Portofino Harbour, 1966
“Italy was Slim’s favourite country to visit and photograph; the lifestyle was intoxicating and the light unequalled. He photographed various Ligurian coastal towns and villages throughout his 50-year career, but Portofino – which Town & Country called, ‘the most exclusive little port in all the world’ in 1986 – was the one he never tired of photographing. While recently researching the Riviera in Slim’s archive I was able to date this photograph to the summer of 1966, not 1955 as previously believed.
Monte Carlo, 1975
Friends boarding a Riva boat in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Riva had created its first fibreglass boat in 1969 and wooden runabout production continued until 1996, before fully transitioning, so this was a twilight time for Carlo Riva’s Golden Age luxury leisure boats in their original form. “The woman waving is anonymous, likely headed ashore via tender,” says Waldron.
Saint-Tropez Beach, 1971
“The daytime scene at one of the many beach clubs along Saint-Tropez’s renowned Pampelonne beach. People often ask what the women are looking at in this shot, but it’s a mystery.”
Cannes Watersports, 1957
“Slim took this picture while on his first major assignment in the region for Holiday magazine.
Over the course of a few weeks in the summer of 1957, Slim and his wife Lorita travelled the coast of the Côte d’Azur. Slim photographed the comings and goings of the grand hotels, private luncheons in hilltop villas, yachts moored at Monte Carlo, and miles and miles of bikini-clad beaches.”
The pool at Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, Antibes, August 1976
“Slim first shot the pool at Eden Roc in 1958 for Holiday magazine and was certainly one of the first to introduce it to US readers. Throughout his career Slim looked for the very best vantage points while on assignment, the higher the better. Slim could also be rather charming; he once convinced a Las Vegas fire brigade to park their ladder truck alongside a hotel pool and extend the bucket to its full height (with him in it) for a cover shoot.
At Eden Roc, he took to the cliffside for the right angle all in the service of his readers.”
